beetroot how do you grow yours

[SarrissUK]

Ok - best way to eat beetroot [ever].

Clean, deleaf/root, boil until tender and then dunk in ice cold water. Once cool, slide the skins off, top and tail and cut into cubes.

Add mayo, cumin, and some very tiny chopped onion. Mix.

Eat with salad and esp on the side of a plate of falafel.

That's funny - exchange the cumin for chopped apple, and you got a beetroot salad always served on the Swedish Christmas dinner (huge smorgasbord type thing). Yummmmyyyy... and it keeps ages in the fridge too

[Florence Fennel]

Must have another try at beetroot this year, this has given me some encouragement. On the list for Monday's sowing day.

[Aberdeenplotter]

ive not tried roasting them always had them boiled so thats another road i now need to travel down

I'm sure I read somewhere that beetroot and parsnips were used used in a similar manner to spuds before Sir Walter took spuds back to the UK from South America. Roast beetroot served with a white sauce with roast beef.

[Two_Sheds]

a cylindrical one (never grown) and a white albino

I love Cylindra, it's my fave. I don't like the whites at all, they seem to be harder, tougher and more turnipy.

I don't boil beets whole, as I feel it wastes too much fuel. I cut them into chunks and boil for about 5-10 mins. However, I have to admit that I only really like beets sliced & pickled *blush*

[Kaiya]

Never successfully grown it (3 beets from 3 rows is not success) but I have made beetroot chutney from the River Cottage Preserves book - delish. Probably better with non-red ones as you have to grate them and therefore end up pink yourself.

[Alison]

Never successfully grown it (3 beets from 3 rows is not success) but I have made beetroot chutney from the River Cottage Preserves book - delish. Probably better with non-red ones as you have to grate them and therefore end up pink yourself.

It's nice isn't it although I think the lovely red colour really makes it, nice splash of colour on the plate.

[Kaiya]

That's very true, and turning pink for a bit isn't so much of a bad thing! Making elderberry vodka last year turned my hands dark purple for a day. I think it's all worth it! Although I would like some non-red ones one day to roast and so avoid pink potatoes.

[mudpies]

Some and some for me..tend to start and end the seasn in modules and sow direct early/mid summer. Love beetroot, wonderful stuff...will be trying some of the recipe ideas you mention...yum

[Aberdeenplotter]

It's nice isn't it although I think the lovely red colour really makes it, nice splash of colour on the plate.

and in the toilet bowl . Doesn't take a lot to make you think you are ill.

[alex-adam]

I have posted on a beetroot thread a few weeks ago, but I think it worth repeating my experience. Last year I tried Bolthardy sown in modules - exactly as Monty Don (See link below) - Frankly I was dubious about this method, but the results were really good. - the beets did indeed jostle themselvs apart and I harvested lots of medium sized beet. - and of course we also ate the leaves too, just like spinach - in fact had some (from the freezer) last evening with tuna and pasta and a small glass of something suitable of course.


a-a
Link: BBC Two - Gardeners' World, 2011/2012, Episode 1, Monty Don sows beetroot and plants shallots into cell trays

[Matt94]

i did the same as alex-adam (and monty don) and i got some good result - considering ive struggled to get beetroots to plump-up (luckily my mum only likes the beetroots small).

[Kaiya]

I like that idea. I've given Zazen's "pinch of onions in a module" a go this year and will try this as well.

[Matt94]

remember tho that each beetroot seed is infact a cluster of seeds (containing 2-3 seeds)

[Aberdeenplotter]

Not with all beetroot. many of the modern varieties are in fact monogerm. i.e. single seeded

[Jamesy_uk]

Funnily I have just been looking beetroot varieties and was considering that very cluster idea as it sort of worked for me in a couple of troughs last year, good to have some solid info thanks.